Study reveals alarming obesity trend in young women

A national study being coordinated by researchers at Newcastle University has revealed an alarming trend towards obesity in young and middle-aged women. The women’s health project, now into its eighth year, is studying 40,000 women over a 20 year period, assessing their physical and emotional health, use of medical services and health risk factors . Professor Christina Lee says new data shows more than 40 per cent of middle-aged women are now over-weight or obese, and the rate for younger women has jumped to 25 per cent. “We found even with our younger women in their 20s, that over four years they gained an average of three kilograms which doesn’t sound like a lot but if you extend that forward over 20 years by the time they reach middle age, if they continue to gain at that rate, it really is a severe problem,” he said.

A national study being coordinated by researchers at Newcastle University has revealed an alarming trend towards obesity in young and middle-aged women.The women’s health project, now into its eighth year, is studying 40,000 women over a 20 year period, assessing their physical and emotional health, use of medical services and health risk factors .Professor Christina Lee says new data shows more than 40 per cent of middle-aged women are now over-weight or obese, and the rate for younger women has jumped to 25 per cent.”We found even with our younger women in their 20s, that over four years they gained an average of three kilograms which doesn’t sound like a lot but if you extend that forward over 20 years by the time they reach middle age, if they continue to gain at that rate, it really is a severe problem,” he said.(Source: ABC Health News, Feb 2004)